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She looked about the room.

"These walls are full of whispers, you know. They are like sponges, and if you press your ear against one hard enough, you can squeeze out some whispers."

"This is disgusting," Ice practically spit.

Rose turned away and hurried to the doorway of the living room, clutching her stomach.

Cinnamon stared after her a moment and then looked at us.

"You've got to transfer your fears, put your emotions into something constructive." she recited as if we were all training for a dramatic presentation. "None of us want to hear such things, but they happen."

"Let's get out of here," Rose urged from the doorway. "She's right. Cinnamon," I said. "What can we do for her?"

"We've got to do something," Cinnamon said with fury in her eyes.

She was remembering what had happened to her mother. I thought.

"Not tonight," Ice said. "Let's go. I've heard enough anyway." Cinnamon looked at me and I nodded.

"They're right. We should go."

"Okay. We'll come back to see Gerta," she told her. "Will you tell her that? Tell her we like her and we want to help her go shopping,"

"That's very nice." she said. "She'll be happy to hear that." She turned toward the wall on the right and just stared,

"Cinnamon," Ice urged, tugging at her arm.

Cinnamon backed up and we all started for the door. Just as we walked out. however. Nxre heard a door slam below,

"Oh, no. Madame Senetsky's back, or it's Laura Fairchild,' I said.

We froze and listened to the footsteps below. They were getting louder and approaching.

"Back out the window," Cinnamon said. retreating.

"But the door will be unlocked. She'll know someone came in here," I said.

"Or she'll think she just forgot to lock it," Cinnamon said. "C'mon. We don't have time to argue about it."

We closed the door softly and hurried back into the bedroom. Gerta was still sitting the same way, staring at the wall. She didn't seem to hear us. We went to the windo

w. It, too, had been locked, so we had to open that and go out, closing the window behind us and hurrying off the landing and down the stairs to my room.

"Ms. Fairchild is going to figure it out," Ice warned as we all descended. "The door was unlocked and the window was unlocked,"

"Gerta could have done the window. Just keep cool and reveal nothing," Cinnamon fired back.

We stepped on the landing and I opened my window so we could all crawl in. Just as we did, the lights went on.

Rose cried out. I gasped. and Cinnamon and Ice turned with surprise.

Standing there with a big, fat smile on his face was Howard Rockwell.

"What are you doing in my room?" I cried,

He wasn't fazed at all. He stood there, cocky as ever with that arrogant smile, his arms folded over his chest, and leaned against the closed door.

"When I came home and found none of you about, I began to check your rooms. This was the last and just as I stepped in to look. I heard the racket on the fire escape and waited. So, what are you, a bunch of burglars?" No one spoke.